Improvement in door-keys



NITEDESTATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE` D. LEWIS, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR ,TO THE NOR- WICH LOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME `PLACE.`

IMPROVEMENT IN DOOR-KEYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,536, dated J anna-ry 20, 1874; application filed December 27, 1873.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. Lnwrs, of

. Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Iniprovement in Door-Keys; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection `with the accompanying drawings and the letextended; Fig. 2, an edge view, and in Fig.

3, a longitudinal central section.

This invention relates to an improvement in folding keys, such as are known to the trade as store-door keys that is, keys which are necessarily too long to conveniently carry in the pocket, the prime object of the folding being to shorten the key; and the invention consists in forming the bit end of the spindle with a groove upon the under sidethat is, the side upon which the bit is arrangedcombined with a spindle and bow, the two pivoted together, and the bow end constructed with a lnortise between the bow and the joint, into which the...

bit, when folded, will set, the flat portion of the spindle, between the inortise and joint, entering the groove in the spindle, as more fully hereinafter described.

A is the bit end, the bit a formed thereon in the usual or any convenient manner, the spindle B extending from the joint b, also of usual or other convenient form. Upon the under or bit side a groove, d, is formed, the extreme end slitted to receive the extension or spindle C, the two being pivoted together, as at b, the thickness of the part C of the spindle corresponding to the groove d in the bit end, and formed with a shoulder, e, so that when fully "extended, as in Fig. 3, the said ,shoulder will come to a bearing. E is the bow upon the cxtreme end of the` part C, also of the usual or any suitable form. That portion of the spindleV next adjoining thebow is made thicker, as

seen in Fig. 2, and through that portion a mortise, f, is formed to receive the bit. Frolnthe extend ed portion in Fig. 3 the bit end is turned over, the bit entering the mortise f, as seen in Fig. `l, the groove in the bit end passing on to the dat portion of the spindle C, shortening the length of the key when thus folded by so much as the length of the bit end. As that portion of the key which occasions the greatest objection to carrying in the pocket is the bit, that difliculty is overcome by the bit extending into the lnortise in the spindle, which serves as a cover or protection` for the bit.

This construction being in two parts, both simple and cheap in themselves, enables me to produce a cheaper key than the conunon `folding keys, and stronger than the usual construction, because no slit is made forone part to fold into the other hence the tendency` to spread one part by the turning of the other is avoided, and while being practically as strong as a solid key is much lighter.

I claim as my invention- .V

The herein-described folding key, consisting of the two parts A and C, the said partA provided with the bit a and groove d, with the part C pivoted therein, and the said part C constructed with a mortisc, f, between the bow and the joint to receive the bit when folded, the whole constructed to be folded or extended, substantially as described.

eno. n. LEwrs. 

